Modernization or Death

This is the conclusion of the Winter Studrespublika VII. We have neither the time nor the chance for mistakes. Without development, innovations and modernization our country is doomed to death, and citizens are doomed to smolder with African conditions in the center of Europe. The WiSR-VII on «The coming to power of new types of political subjects with the aim of radical modernization of Ukraine« has just ended in the Carpathians, at Bukovyna.

Perhaps, there are no simple games, and it just may seem corny if we claim that that one was challenging, however this year’s the Winter Studrespublika was really special with its intensity, complexity and content. In fact, the participants had two objectives: to catch modernization steps that should be done for saving of the country, and how these ideas should be implemented. During three days more than 40 active, with a conscious choice, mostly young people, gathered at Bukovyna, at the resort Myhove in order to find the answer to the highly complex problem.

On the First day, after the official opening the participants started their work with a simple, as it may seem at first glance, task: «What citizens of Ukraine should have done but haven’t», but it turned out that it was not so easy to find out the honest answer to this question. Participants tried to talk about everyone, but not about themselves. However, one of the main stipulations of the organizational-activity game is to talk only about oneself and one’s capabilities. As at this year the WiSR there were many experts, so during plenary sessions and at the work in groups, and also while holding optional courses, experts significantly encouraged participants in creating new ideas. As follows, Serhiy Datsyuk, a philosopher and Students’ Republic’s expert, was the one who held the first optional course: «Ukraine postcolonial«, and who greatly shocked the participants, forcing them to think about the world to which we have already got used to… and which has already gone, and the new world is only emerging and we have to create it efficiently.

On the Second day the partner of the WiSR-VII, the National Deputy of Ukraine Maksym Burbak, and the Chernivtsi Mayor Oleksiy Kaspruk came to congratulate the participants of the Winter Studrespublika. They emphasized that they were happy with the fact that in Ukraine there were no indifferent, but thinking young people who were willing to learn in order to save the country. Distinguished guests commented that they were ready to help and assist participants of the WiSR in their useful initiatives as well.

During the game of that day there were demonstrated numbers of points of view, but groups did not stand the devastating criticism at the night plenary session and were dissolved. Instead, all participants were divided into two groups: Republicans and newcomers.

For the first time within the OAG at the WiSR-VII there was an international Skype-bridge: «Modernization of Ukraine & Modernization of the World: the driving force of development«, in which participated: players of the WiSR; a philosopher, an expert of Students’ Republic Mykhaylo Minakov, on the air from Kyiv; a political philosopher and an expert of Students’ Republic, Andrii Okara on the air from Moscow (Russia); a famous innovative entrepreneur Evgeny Juryev, who was in touch from Taupo (New Zealand). During the skype-bridge all its participants were unanimous: Ukraine should be modernized immediately or it will simply disappear as a state. Incomplete reforms, the absence of real change programs are leading all of us into the abyss.

The same day a management consultant Yuriy Kotlyarevsky (Odesa) held an optional course: «Clan-corporate interests and their conflict development. Conflicts as an objective fact and the main subject of consultative impact and development«, during which the known lecturer, game technician remarked that business conflict has a strong potential for development.

Certainly, the most productive and saturated was the Third day. Intensive work of players was complemented by the optional courses of experts. An expert on community network-type structure Taras Plakhtiy lectured on: «The structure and deployment of political organizations of dynamic variable structure network«.And the former chairman of the NGO «Students’ Republic», entrepreneur and civil activist Volodymyr Krutko shared knowledge on: «The strengthening of innovation systems as an effective instrument of modernization«.

As meanwhile the game there was announced the stature of mobilization, everybody understood that the country could be lost at any moment. Participants became active and late in the evening of the last day presented the Manifestos of the public association and also of the two parties of a new type in the form of texts and videos. On the results of the game there could be given out a number of meaningful and prognostic conclusions. Summarizing all this, the following should be implemented urgently:

• For the civil society and for all the citizens of Ukraine there appears the purpose to modernize the political sphere, where the main issue is to replace manipulative political technologies, where the advertising budgets win, with the real programs’ struggle. In this context, there is a need for the serious elimination of political ignorance of citizens and the emergence of political parties that will offer an example of meaningful communication;

• as modern political projects (parties) have failed, there arises an issue to establish new type parties, which will be concentrated on such schemes of work: 1) the creation and support of various kinds of intellectual clubs as a source of ideas, and plan processing inside of the modernization party mechanism with implementation of ideas, which subsequently will be embodied in a real, and its immediate implementation; 2) organizing of direct feedback with voters.

First of all, a new type political party, in particular, should provide the following reforms:

The adoption of the Innovative Constitution and implementation of the dynamic decentralization system;

Implementation of simple and transparent rules for business;

A real struggle against corruption and so on.

The coming to power of a new type party is possible only if a broad local base of support and inclusion of citizens into party activities is established. Recent developments in the country have launched a deep process of transformation of our society, and in order to unite the country, we have to change the outdated principles with new ones, which reflected in the game as the following meaningful slogans: «People for People» and «Cooperation».

The great aim of citizens should be the idea of ​​ensuring the release of all those who are not free, though somehow feels captivated and limited.

By summing up the results, all the participants of the WiSR-VII were awarded. There won Anna Nesterenko, from Svitlovodsk (Kirovohrad region). As a present she received a Studrespublika’s brand T-shirt and an Impression smartphone, which was a partner of the WiSR. One more phone was given to a group of Republicans (who worked in the relevant game party), though it’s their job to decide who deserves a valuable gift. All the participants of the Winter Studrespublika also were awarded with certificates and books written by the world-renowned economist, a Studrrespublika’s Partnership council member Bohdan Hawrylyshyn.

The following day, when the game finished, a civil activist, entrepreneur Oleksiy Burbak joined the WiSR-VII, and was communicating with participants about further cooperation and provided for them an excursion in Chernivtsi.

The analysis of the game processes makes it possible to conclude that despite the enormous challenges that our country faced, and which expressed primarily in the loss of control over a number of territories and economic collapse, progress in the country is still possible, but the noble matter of its revival requires progressive, creative, intelligent people to dedicate whole their lives to it, and they shouldn’t stop, betray or give up, but they should come till the winning end. Another way seems to be impossible: «Modernization or Death!»

Organizers:NGO «Students’ Republic» with the assistance of National Deputy of Ukraine Maksym Burbak, the organization support of Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.